“Whether we like it or not, our lives will leave a mark on the universe. Each person’s birth makes ripples that expand in our social environments: parents, siblings, relatives and friends are affected by us and as we grow up our actions leave a myriad of consequences, some intended most not”.
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Read that quote again. It is deep (pun intended). Now imagine just for a moment that you are standing on the shore of Lake Tahoe with me. It’s perfectly clear today and the water is cobalt blue. I hand you a smooth, perfectly weighted stone and you throw it as far as you can. Can you see the ripples? Can you see them grow in the distance? I think that is what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is talking about in the above quote. You are the stone thrower, you have power and all of your actions have impact. Some intended, others not.

I was looking at some of my “notes to self” the other day and I came across this quote from Michael Gerber.

“Every business is a family business.”

Do you get how profound this perspective is? Your passion, your career aspirations and your reaction to the wins and challenges you face in business have a ripple effect on those in your circle and beyond it. You’ve probably noticed that many Chiropractors use the phrase, “Family Wellness” in the name of their business. As a coach it makes me ask the question, “Whose family?”
Did you know that as a business owner you have stakeholders who have a vested financial, emotional and, on some level, a spiritual connection to your success? It’s easy to see that your spouse and children are inextricably tethered to your results but what about your staff and their families and your patients? Your staff is interested in how your business fulfills them as human beings. The people who work alongside you want to grow and thrive and they want economic certainty. They want to know if your business will be around five years from today even if you are not. Your patients want to know if your practice will be there, ready to respond when they need you, not just when you are in the mood or it’s convenient for you. They want security that their experience will be remarkable and consistent. There are other family stakeholders. What about the banker who loaned you the money to start your practice and the vendors you buy from and yes even the coaches you hire?

You see, what you do has meaning to others. It affects them. This practice is not about you. Do you get that? Good. Now go to work.

Neck pain can be caused by poor posture or a trauma such as an automobile accident. When neck pain persists or recurs it is important to improve the fitness of your neck. Stress and emotional tension will intensify the symptoms associated with neck pain. One of the most consistent findings in neck pain and headache sufferers is a reduction in endurance of the deep muscles of the front of the neck. Poor posture such as with your chin jutting out is an example of weakness of these deep muscles combined with increased tension in the superficial neck musculature.

It is always a good idea to see a doctor who is trained in providing care for musculoskeletal disorders such as a chiropractor, physical therapist, or orthopedist. Most patients do not require surgery and can be helped by a conservative care program. A recent study showed that chronic neck pain patients benefit more from a combination of simple exercises and spinal manipulation from a chiropractor than from either exercise or manipulation alone.

Even your neck muscles need to be stretched and strengthened. Here are some exercises to combat stiffness and prevent problems in the future. Do each five times twice a day. Do the first three exercises for two weeks before starting the rest.

One approach to improving ourselves and our practices is to ask some tough questions. You could start by examining the professional clinical side of your practice first. Where do you look for answers? Look to your professional network. Ask your colleagues about the latest chiropractic seminars. Ask them for recommendations on books and conferences. Take courses to update your hands-on skills and techniques. Join panel discussions to share ideas and new developments. Do research on the Web for the latest techniques and follow up with practice.  Ask questions and get feed back from other chiropractors.

Set a deadline or take as much time as you can afford to incorporate the new knowledge into your practice. You may even find that you have made some new discoveries of your own. Be sure to share them with others in your network so they can be tested and confirmed for the good of your discipline.

Once your clinical skills are in place, you can focus on improving the business of your business. This includes the day to day management of your office and staff and your client customer service plan. Let your staff know that you will be reviewing office procedures and ask for input. Can you streamline billing procedures? Do you need a part-time person to do customer outreach? Are your forms up to date? Are there staff concerns that you haven’t dealt with? Be honest and give everyone the opportunity to voice their opinion. It’s a critical step in improving the way your practice is run.

The next area you may want to focus on is client customer service. No matter how smoothly this is going, you will find that there are always new ideas that you can put into practice. Even if you get great returns on your advertising efforts, you may not be increasing your client base at the rate you had hoped.

By devoting a small amount of extra time to each client, you may realize large improvements in customer satisfaction and come closer to meeting their often unspoken needs.

Set a goal to get feed back from every patient. This can be a simple chat at the end of an appointment or a small inquiry card the client can take and fill out at home. By giving your client a voice, you are strengthening your relationship and assuring you will always make the right impression. Review office procedures for handling questions, complaints and objections. After all, the most important part of your practice is helping people to feel better.Another important element of growing your chiropractic practice is to develop effective communication skills for all of your staff.

As a chiropractor you have several things that all need to be done. You need to focus on your patient, while communicating with your secretaries, and with the recent increase in people looking for natural and holistic medicines this will not be easy. When your patient numbers increases the stress will build so why not designate tasks to others with in your practice, and instead of going room to room to find some one and tell them what you need done, just sit at the computer in the room you are in, log on to your project management software and send the task over to them. New and improved means of office management are being made available to help face these challenges. Along with chiropractic training, project management software is a great way to help your practice grow. Some of the benefits of using this software include:

• Easy set-up and even easier to understand.
• Data is stored on a dedicated firewalled server.
• The software is internet based and offers you the flexibility to access it anywhere at any time.
• There’s no hardware for you to set up.

You can even make big decisions in a partnership while your partner is away, since the majority of the software is internet based. This means that no matter where your partner is they got the message.

DC Mentors helps Chiropractors improve there practices and illuminate their path for effective leadership. They make available the best in chiropractic seminars, chiropractic management solutions, and powerful training tools.

Project Management Certification is one step toward building an efficient team and a positive relationship with your professionals. Professionals should always look to increase their abilities, but should start with some basics such as:

• specialized education
• desire to learn and adapt
• moral and professional code of Ethics.

Your team should not stop learning after they have graduated from school. Instead they should search out ways to learn new techniques. One way to do this is to attend Chiropractic seminars . This could be as an individual, but should rather be as a company so that you can point out any areas that should be examined specifically.

Attending a Chiropractic seminar as a company will help in another way. All of your employees will be forced to spend time outside of work together. This will begin to create a bond between your employees, which can lead to better performance. A happy, friendly work place is usually a more productive work place.

DC Mentors’ coaching, management systems, and training seminars will help accelerate your chiropractic practice’s growth. They have lots of experience in chiropractic practice management solutions, offering the best training tools.

Lie on your stomach. Raise one leg from the floor and return it to the floor. Repeat these steps for a count of ten. Do the same with the other leg.

Strong abdominal muscles protect your back! While lying flat on your back slowly raise your shoulders off the ground while keeping your chin tucked. Touch your fingertips to your knees and hold for the count of five. This is a modified sit-up.

Next hug your knees to your chest and at the same time bring your chin to your chest. Repeat twice, holding for 15 seconds each.

Lie on your back on a flat surface. Your feet are flat on the surface and your knees are bent. Keep your legs together Cross your arms over your chest. Tilt your pelvis then slowly lift your buttocks off the floor as far as possible without straining.

Maintain this position for 5 seconds.

When finished, lie flat on your back and stretch your arms above your head. Release and relax for a minute. Whatever you do don’t think about your boss. Leave the stress from work at work.

Here is some helpful information on staying healthy:

Equipment Empowerment: Examine the tools you’re about to use, most specifically your shovel. You really aren’t helping yourself, or your yard of snow clearing, if you ignore your height and strength in relation to the utensils being used. When selecting a shovel, make certain the length and weight of this implement are in direct relation to what you can use comfortably. And for heaven’s sake, before you initiate your lifting and clearing, stretch your body! Your arms, back, legs and neck should engage in a non-too-strenuous warm-up before you tackle your work.

Avoid Back Injury: The shovel is usually the main, manual tool used when clearing a yard of snow or rubbish. One of the most problematic concerns rests with your back – with too aggressive an attack, your back can suffer from disc and/or ligament damage. When you’re about to deposit the snow or dirt to one side, use your arms and your body in one smooth motion. Keep your feet firmly planted in one spot. Using your legs and thighs to assist your upper body to deposit the unwanted materials to one side relieves the strain on your back.

Basic Bending: Remember, your spine was formed as a stable rod for your body, straight and true and able to withstand a considerable amount of weight while protecting your spinal cord. Don’t push your spine beyond its capabilities! When lifting, bend from your knees. Try to keep your spine as straight as possible. The wise worker also deposits the materials close to the area being cleaned up and doesn’t carry the weight over extended distances.

Pull It: Try to pull the snow or dirt from the area of concern, rather than straining to push it away. A tool you can easily construct to handle this for you requires a 4 x 14-inch piece of material (such as cardboard, metal, plastic or plywood) which is attached to the back of your garden bow rake’s tines using clamps or wire or screws. Use this incredibly effective device from an upright position, much as you would a household broom. There’s far less energy involved in sliding weight than bending down, picking up and moving the material.

Continue to enjoy your life by thinking before you act.  Even the most miniscule physical activities can cause injury if done improperly for an extended period of time.  The more health information you learn, the better equipped you are to stay healthy.

Fortunately, the U.S. government provides thousands of pages of information on the topic, and a majority of this comes from highly trusted sources working for or within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Here is some useful health information and tips:

Ask your doctor plenty of questions: Choose a doctor or specialist you feel comfortable talking with, and don’t be afraid to speak up with any and all questions, doubts or concerns you may have. After all, it’s your health! Make sure you not only ask plenty of questions, but also understand the answers. Some people find it helpful to bring along a friend or relative to assist in this.

Maintain an active lifestyle: Stay motivated to exercise by selecting fun activities, and change them around sometimes to prevent boredom. If you find it difficult to dedicate a set time to exercising, look for alternatives in your typical routine, such as yard work, house cleaning, or walking the dog. If you find lack of time for exercise is a regular problem, try implementing shorter activities during the day, such as 10-minute walks around the home, office or block a few times per day. However, if you have health problems, be sure to consult your doctor before changing your exercise habits.

Get the facts and plan ahead if surgery is required: Speak with your doctor and surgeon to be sure you are in absolute agreement on what your upcoming surgical procedure involves. Your doctor should be able to answer the question of who will monitor your condition while you are a patient in the hospital, and your surgeon should be able to tell you what the procedure entails, how long it will take, what happens after surgery, and how you will feel during the recovery process. Also be sure to inform your doctor, surgeon and anesthesiologist of any allergies you may have.

Children and teens need plenty of sleep: Although we all have times when we wish the alarm clock could hold off for another 10 minutes in the morning, children and teens require a full-night’s rest every night in order to ensure proper growth potential and performance in school. Most teens require a minimum of 7.5 hours of sleep per night, and anything less can reduce performance in academics and extra-curricular activities.

Remember to always consult your doctor before trying any new product, exercise regimen, or medication. Although thousands of Websites are devoted specifically to health, those containing the .gov extension in the URL address are more likely to be trustworthy than URLs ending in .com, .net or .biz as a general rule.

Your body uses pain to send a message to you that something is wrong. Depending on how much pain tolerance you have determines how many of these messages you get. Here are a few of the messages your body may be sending to tell you to get your back realigned by a professional chiropractor:

• Numbness or tingling in one or both legs.
• A dull ache that never goes away, but does increase from time to time.
• Stiffness and immobility.
• Pain in the neck region.
• Pain when you cough or sneeze.
• The pain awakens you from sleep, or makes it hard getting to sleep.
• The pain causes you nausea or loosens your bowels.

A misalignment of your spine could cause irreparable damage as so many nerves and blood vessels run through it. Studies have shown that misaligned bones can induce other health related issues such as severe headaches.

If you’re suffering with back pain, your best bet is to visit a well known chiropractor. You’ll want to find one that is well established and has a knowledgeable staff. Ask the chiropractor for references from other patients. Try to find out if the practice attends regular chiropractic seminars. If they do, then you know they’re on top of their field, and really care about their patients. Do as much research as you can, so you can feel totally comfortable with the chiropractor you choose.

If you feel that your chiropractic practice is not where it should be, or that you have reached a plateau, DC Mentors can help you to grow and prosper. They have lots of experience in chiropractic practice management solutions, offering the best training tools and methods.